Electrically-illuminated advertising device.



. H. CONOVER.

ELECTRICALLY'ILLUMINATED ADVERTISING DEVICE.

APPLICATION Fl LED NOV. 22. 1915.

1,244,959. Patented Oct. 30,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- 60565: 1M flwvg/fwzou i APPLICATION FILED NOV-22.1915-H. CO NOVER.

ELECTRICALLY ILLUMINATED ADVERTISING DEVICE;

Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

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HARVEY CONOVER, QI. QHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIQALLY-ILLUMIIflAT-IZD- ADVERTISING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

Application filed November 2 2 1915. Serial No. 62,718.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY CoNovER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrically-IlluminatedAdvertising Devices; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in electrically illuminatedadvertising devices and consists of the matters hereinafter de-. scribedand more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

The object of the invention is to provide a device which includes astage provided with suitable backgrounds, foregrounds and intermediategrounds' in one or more of which is 'shown the advertlslng matter and incombination therewith, an automatic, electrically controlled,illuminating device for illuminating the several grounds of-the pictureappearing upon the stage so as ,to represent changing conditions inlighting from-day to night or vice versa, as from day through dusk tonight and from night through dawn to day.

An advertising device of this kind, by reason of the changing featuresof the scene disclosed upon the stage is calculated to attract andarrest immediate attention and thus forcibly direct the observer to thematters that are being advertised.

The advantages of my improved device will appear more clearly as Iproceed with my specification.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of my improvedadvertising device.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same on a smaller scale, in aplane indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3'is a diagrammatic view illustrating the arrangement of theilluminating lamps and the flasher mechanism for controlling the on andoff periods of said lamps.

Referring now to that embodiment of my invention as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings :5 indicates a box-like open front casingsupported upon upright members 6 which are braced and held erect by thebrace bars 7. Said casing is also supported at its bottom upon forwardlyextendmg horizontal members 8,'which are attached at their inner ends tothe uprights 6 and which are braced at their outer ends by the bracebars 9. The casing 5 comprises closed end walls 10, 10, a closed rearwall '12, a transparent top wall13 and a closed bottom wall 14.' To theopen front of said casing is fixed a finishmg frame 11. The rear wall 12engages against the uprights 6 and the bottom wall 14 rests upon theforwardly extending members 8 of the supporting structure hereinbeforementioned.

Spaced apart from the front to the rear of the casing are provided aplurality of scenic grounds of which the rear wall 12 of the casingforms the background, and which, in this particular instance, hasdepicted upon it a mountain scene. 15 indicates the foreground memberwhich is made of a suitably cut out piece of sheet metal located in avertical position adjacent the open front wall 11 of the casing. Thisforeground member is supported upon the bottom wall 14 0f the casing andas illustrated depicts a roadway and an automobile thereupon, havinghead and tail lights 15 and 15 respectively.- 16 and 16 indicateintermediate scenic ground members which depict a roadside fence withaccompanying foliage and a woods or forest scene respectively. Should itbezdesired, the name and price of the device to be advertised may alsobe displayed in the plane of one of the intermediate scenic grounds asis illustrated at 17. As illustrated, this advertisin matter isdisplayed in a skeletonized form 1n the plane of the intermediate ground16 and is suspended from the top wall of the casing by means of wires.18, 18. 19, 20, 21, 22 indicate rows of elec trically illuminateddifferently colored lamps, there preferably being a row of lampsassociated with each scenic ground member used in the device. Said lampsare provided with associated reflectors, 19, 20,

21, 22, which direct the light downwardly upon the scenes, saidreflectors and associated lamps being supported on transversely arrangedbars 23 which are attached to the front and rear walls of the casin nearits top in such a manner that said lig ts or reflectors are obscuredfrom the view of the observer.

In carrying out the scheme of color illumination for'this particularadvertising device, that row of lamps 19 adjacent the back ground 12have green bulbs, the remaining rows of lights having red, yellow-amberandclear or white bulbs respectively. In the wiring of the said lampsone terminal of each lamp in each row is connected to a line wire 24.connected in turn to a main feed wire 25. The other terminal in eachlamp in each row is connected to wires 26,27, 28, 29, each one of whichleads to an associated flasher brush 26*, 27, 28, 29*, respectively.Each brush is adapted for wiping contact with the periphery of anassociated flasher disk 30, 31, 32, 33, for a purpose presently to bedescribed. Said disks are fixed upon a rotative shaft 34: driven by amotor (not shown). 35 indicates a circuit feed disk fixed to said shaftat one end thereof and associated with said disk is a brush 36operatively connected to the other main feed wire 25 Each disk 30, 31,32, 33 has a part of its periphery insulated so that during the rotationof said disk each row of lamps controlled by the associated disk willhave an on and off period of illumination. The relative arrangement ofthe insulated peripheral part of each disk to theconducting part of eachdisk is such that during the rotation of the shaft 34, the brush 26associated with the row 19 of green lights through the associated wire26 will engage the conducting part of the disk 30 and complete thecircuit to this row of lights which willthen have an on period. Thisillumination is reflected upon the back ground 12 on which the mountainscenery is depicted, and thus simulates the usual greenish haze of theearly dawn or first break of day. The brush 27 a controlling the circuitto the row of red lights (during the rotation of the shaft 34), nextengages the. conducting part of its associated disk so as to completethe circuit for its associated row of lights, which cast theirredreflection upon the intermediate ground 16, said red reflectionmingling with the green reflection already ,on. This gives theimpression to the observer of the approaching day in the far distance.Next in order in a like manner the row of yellow lamps are brought intocircuit so that the harmonious intermixing of the various colors willsignify the fast approaching da light. The row of white lights are nextin order to be brought into circuit and as soon as this is accomplished,the brushes controlling the other rows of lights willthen be engaged inwiping contact upon the insulated portions of their associated disks andthe circuit to them being thus interrupted, said lights will beextinguished and the row of white or clear lights will illuminate theinterior of thecasing to simulate full daylight. Soon 'the brushcontrolling the circuit to the white or clear lights will engage theinsulated part of the periphery of its associated disk and they will beextinguished andthe whole of the casing will be in darkness to simulatenightfall.

In a short time the circuit is again completed to the row of greenlights as before described and the cycle of lighting effects againcompleted.

As illustrated, the device is shown as being used to advertise anautomobile, and to further carry out the realism of the device I have soarranged the various circuits and flasher-disks, so that when all of-therows of lights are extinguished to simulate the darkness of night, thehead and tail lights 15" and 15" respectively of the automobile formingpart of the foreground, are caused to be brought into circuit andilluminted and upon the approach of the com letion of the circuit forthe row of green lights, said head and tail lights are extinguished andthis is brought about in the following manner.

Fixed to the end of the shaft 34adja cent the disk 33 is providedanother disk 40, which, like the other disks before delated. 41indicates a brush adapted for Wiping contact with said disk. Said brushis connected to one terminal of a. lamp in each head and tail lightbefore described, by means of a linewire 42. The other terminals of thelamps in said head and tail lights are connected to the line wire 25 bymeans of a Wire 43. The relative arrangement of the insulated peripherypart of the disk 40 to the adjacent disk 33 is such that as the brush29* associated with said last mentioned disk is caused to enga e theinsulating periphery thereof, the rush 41 is then in wiping engagementwith the conductive periphery part of its associated disk and completesthe circuit therethrough. The head and tail lightsare thus illuminated,presenting to the observer the appearance of an automobile as it wouldnaturally appear at night with its head and tail lights illuminated.This last named disk is so arranged with respect to the disk controllingthe roW of green lights 19 that the head and tail lights 15" and 15respectively, will be extinguished at approximately the same .time asthe said reen lights are brought into circuit as be in described.

A knife switch 46 is interposed in the main feed wires 25, 25,respectively, so as to interrupt or close the said main feed wirewhenever desired.

The device may be used as a day sign as well as a night sign, as will bereadily apparent, for the reason that the transparent top wall and openfront wall will permit the ready entrance of light and the whole devicewill then appear as a picture with a. shadow box effect.

As will be apparent, any desired number or kinds of scenic ounds as wellas desired color scheme of llghtin effects, may be used to meetdifferent conditions for the article to be advertised; Hence I do notscribed, has a part of its periphery insu- '10 -arranged parallelwiththe said 'back Wall wish to limit myself to the exact construc- I tionand arrangement of lighting eifects as has been hereinbefore described.

I, claim as my invention An advertising device comprising incombination, an open front box, having side,

, bottom, back. and top walls forming a stage,

the bacl; torial representation to constitute a back Wall being providedwith a picground, means providing upright members and upon which aredepicted matter comprising a foreground, intermediate ground and thelike, one or more of said grounds having depicted upon it the subjectmatter of the advertisement, electric lamps arranged in rows near saidtop wall, parallel to and for illuminating the several grounds, saidlamps being of various colors, electric circuits for the various lamps,and a switching device automatically controlled, adapted to throw thelamps successively in circuit to produce theefiect of changing lights onthe general scene depicted by the several fore, back and intermediategrounds of the picture depicted.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I afliX mysignature in the presence of two Witnesses, this 16th day of November,A. D. 1915.

HARVEY CONOVER.

Witnesses:

'1. H. ALrREDs, KARL W. DOLL.

